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Breaking down the Wimbledon draw Posted: Friday June 20, 2003 1:47 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim peers into his crystal ball to reveal the fate of the top 16 men's and women's seeds for Wimbledon. Scroll down to see the first-round matches you shouldn't miss, some darkhorse candidates to advance to Week 2, and his championship predictions. MEN'S REPORT | Women's Report 1. Lleyton Hewitt: Were we talking about anyone else, you'd say there was too much turmoil -- the bad loss in Paris, the abrupt coaching change, the abdication of the top spot, the lawsuit against the ATP worthy of Lionel Hutz -- for him to defend his title. But Hewitt has a singular ability to use dissonance as fuel. And it certainly doesn't hurt that he won't face a top-100 player until Round 3. 2. Andre Agassi: For all the talk about the impact of the serve on grass, what about a nod to the game's best return man? He's playing fairly well, he has won the thing before, his draw is tasty. Plus, no Pete Sampras in the field. 3. Juan Carlos Ferrero: His accuracy and return game are good for a couple of rounds, but he lacks the penetrating serve and grass skills to come close to living up to his seeding. Don't be surprised if he falls to flashy Nicolas Escudé in Round 2. 4. Roger Federer: Desperate for a respectable Slam showing. The game is there, as are the grass-court results, but, boy, has his play in recent Slams been disappointing. It is with great trepidation that we predict the Federer Express will pick up some traction. 5. Andy Roddick: Winning ugly? As long as he's hitting 149-mph bombs he can take this thing, court craft be damned. We're getting ahead of ourselves -- remember what Greg Rusedski, Roddick's likely second-round foe, did to him a year ago -- but you have to like his chances. His potential quarterfinal against Hewitt could be must-see TV. 6. David Nalbandian: Can lightning strike twice for Nalbandian the Andean? It says here, no. Former semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov might even send him packing right off the bat. 7. Guillermo Coria: Slick Willy is a future star. But (lucky for the ballkids), it's hard to see him lasting long with so little coursework on grass. 8. Sjeng Schalken: Like most Dutch players, Schalken knows what he's doing on grass; he nearly beat Hewitt late in the tournament a year ago. It wouldn't be surprising if he made another Grand Slam quarter or even semi. 9. Rainer Schuettler: Quietly putting together an awfully nice year, but his Lleyton-lite game doesn't seem particularly well-suited to grass. 10. Tim Henman: The Brits ought to be in a lather about Their Tim's draw, despite his first-round matchup against Alex Corretja. Henmania ought to afflict the nation deep into the second week, but we think Sebastien Grosjean might end the madness in the quarters. 11. Jiri Novak: Smiling all the while, this unassuming Czech might make the quarters -- but he ain't beating Agassi. 12. Paradorn Srichaphan: This sure would be a nice time to end a prolonged slump. Will get a test in his opener against Dominik Hrbaty (again). If Srichaphan passes that, his draw opens up considerably. 13. Sebastien Grosjean: Like Agassi, Grosjean has a mean return that can wreak just as much havoc as a cannonball serve. We like him to reach the semis. 14. Xavier Malisse: A semifinalist last year, the X-Man has the misfortune of meeting Agassi in the Round of 16. As was the case in Paris, Malisse can stay in points with AA but will fold when the match tightens. 15. Arnaud Clément: Assuming his first-round opponent, Robby Ginepri, is fully healthy, this could be our blue-plate upset special. On the other hand, Clément's play in the tuneups has been encouraging. 16. Mikhail Youzhny: Highlight this pony on your program. Particularly if Federer doesn't come to play, this young Russian has a nice shot at the semis. LOWER SEEDS WORTH WATCHING 19. Fernando Gonzalez: Not sure the grass-court aptitude is there, but the Flayin' Chilean is always dangerous. 21. Martin Verkerk: You wonder if the loss to Ferrero at the French didn't knock him down to earth. And the guy's grass preparation was less than ideal. Still, there's plenty about the Dutchman's game that presages success at WB. 26. James Blake: We haven't heard much from Big Game James lately, but his athleticism and able net game ought to serve him well. DARKHORSE NATION Wayne Arthurs: As always. And it's based almost solely on two words: lefty serve. Greg Rusedski: See above. Jonas Bjorkman: Good volleyer, good speed, knows how to get netward. Plus, some success on grass of late. Nicolas Kiefer: His best days are in the past, but he has to be encouraged by recent results. George Bastl: Just to cover our bases this year. FIRST-ROUND MATCHES TO WATCH Henman vs. Alex Corretja: The crowd favorite should survive, but you never like having to face a former top-five player in your first match (even if he's a Spaniard playing on grass). Taylor Dent vs. Ivan Ljubicic: Has the makings of an entertaining early shootout. Robby Ginepri vs. Clément: Two quality players with an interesting contrast in styles. Rafael Nadal vs. Mario Ancic: Who knows if Nadal can play on grass, but here's a chance to catch a rising star taking on a big-time server. PREDICTIONS Semifinals: Roddick vs. Schalken, Grosjean vs. Agassi
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